Crazy clutter sneaks in over the years until before we know it we've got duplicates and more of this that and the other but can NOT find a thing!!
It's bonkers and all adds to the stress of clutter BUT how can we declutter them without making more mess?
Well the good news is we can declutter those duplicates easily and they are a great place to kickstart a full scale declutter of our home.
And that's because the clutter demon can't play the usual trick of claiming "but you might need it!!"
If like me you've got 9 torches, 6 hairbrushes and 5 rolling pins you can happily get rid of a bundle without that ever being a problem!!
So let's start decluttering with this super easy declutter duplicates challenge ...
Super Simple Declutter Duplicates Challenge
I have for you below a big checklist of common things lots of us have duplicates, triplicates and more of!!
It is divided into sections so you can focus on decluttering one small area a day WITHOUT making a mess.
I confess I am not a Marie Kondo fan and I recommend these 2 declutter methods instead for the challenge :
Just 10 Things
The Just 10 Things method is a gentle but effective way to declutter so perfect if you're tired, feeling down or struggle with mobility.
Basically you just :
- Set a timer for 5-10 minutes
- Let go of 10 things every day
- So decluttering becomes an habit
- And you can use the power of a small daily habit to clear a whopping 3,000 things in a year!!
I cleared huge amounts of clutter easily using Just 10 Things.
The Power Purge
The Power Purge is a great declutter method when you're hopping mad with your family's clutter and want to have big impact fast WITHOUT making an unholy mess!!
Very simply you:
- Set a timer for 15-30 minutes
- Focus on one area
- And without yanking stuff out everywhere, grab the stuff you're ready to let go without regret.
I use the Power Purge method for fast and furious decluttering when I'm bouncing with energy.
You can use whichever declutter method sounds best for you with the declutter checklist.
Declutter Duplicates Challenge Checklist
This declutter duplicates challenge checklist can be used for a :
- 2 Week Power Purge Challenge
- 1 Month Just 10 Things Challenge
Focus on a different area day if you are Power Purging or take 2 or 3 days per section with Just 10 Things.
- Baking
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Cooking
- General Kitchen Stuff
- Drinks Equipment
- Craft Supplies
- Electronics
- Storage
- Shoes & Bags
- Toys
- Wardrobe
- Tools
Do set your timer everyday and stick to your time slot as you are much more likely to stick to the daily challenge if you do.
And remember your secret weapon against the clutter demon is the knowledge you will never need 5 different can openers because you still have one safely in the drawer!!
So you truly can set to and clear your clutter without regret ...
Baking
- Rolling pins - I had 5!!
- Cookie cutters - different shapes OK but not identikits
- Whisks
- Jelly moulds
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowls
Bathroom
- Hairbrushes
- Tweezers
- Hair bobbles
- Toothbrush chargers
- Nail scissors
- Nail brushes
- Bath hats
- Towels - yes of course we need more than 2 but 20 really?
- First aid kits
Bedroom
- Duvets - I had 5 spares!
- Duvet covers - one on and one in the wash is fine
- Sheets - as above
- Pillow slips - ditto
- Blankets - yes a good way to keep heating bills down but not as home to moths!
Cooking
- Wooden spoons
- Sauce pans - how can I need more than there are rings on the hob?
- Frying pans
- Blender jugs - I love my Nutribullet but I DO NOT need 5 jugs!
- Sieves
- Colanders
- Graters
- Ladles
- Salt & pepper cellars
- Spatulas
- Vegetable peelers
- Can openers
General Kitchen Stuff
- Tea towels
- Oven gloves
- Aprons
- Floor mops
- Dust pans & brushes
- Cleaning products
Drinks
- Corkscrews
- Bottle openers
- Coffee mugs
- Wine glasses
- Tea pots
- Tumblers
- Champagne glasses
- Mug mats
- Coffee pots
Craft Supplies
- Felt tips - I'm all for variety but 100s, really?
- Crayons - as above
- Coloured pencils - ditto
- Loom bands - would love to throw the lot but getting down to one jar is progress!
- Craft beads - lovely but so many?
Electronics
- Multi-sockets
- USB drives
- Torches
- Phone chargers
- Extension leads
Storage
- Cake tins
- Plastic tubs
- Jam jars
- Water bottles
- Lunch & picnic bags
- Ice boxes
Shoes & Bags
- Flip flops
- Kids wellingtons
- Swimming bags
- Suitcases
- School bags
- Pencil cases
- Wallets & purses
- Shoe polish brushes
Toys
- Lego - you can have too much lego, way too much!
- Packs of cards
- 50 different varieties of Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly etc
- Jigsaws
- Buckets & spades
- Beach games
- Bricks
- Kids train pieces
You can sell lego and other kids toys in bulk to make money out of your clutter.
Wardobe
- Classic Ts in the same colour
- White shirts
- Jeans
- Black trousers
- Little black dresses
- Handkerchiefs
- Socks
- Scarves
- Clothes brushes
- Swimming costumes
- Dressing gowns
- Coat hangers
Tools
- Screw drivers
- Hammers
- Spare screws
- Garden trowels
- Garden brushes
- Tape measures
I really hope this declutter checklist helps. Do let me know how you get on with the challenge.
Once you have finished and got the motivation to continue decluttering checkout these challenges :
- Declutter Your Garage
- Declutter Boxes Of Forgotten Stuff
- Declutter Paper Clutter
- Declutter Your Kitchen
- Sell Clutter Easily
And follow me on Pinterest for more tips, support and motivation.
Original image source: rawpixel
Kristen M. says
Great post! You’re understanding approach is just what I needed. When I saw things like tweezers, I thought “THERE IS NO WAY I’M GIVING UP MY NINE TWEEZERS! (FOUR IDENTICAL & FIVE RANDOM-thanks to my three monthly makeup/beauty subscriptions, I have amassed not only an additional five tweezers, but ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY beauty items, mostly sample sizes, per year. (I’ve never done that math. WOW! Just what a clutter prone person needs. However, I do use some of the items religiously. About 10%. And I keep them organized in a hanging pocket organizer. (Well, THREE hanging pocket organizers. But I have a hard time throwing things away, even if they’re of no use to me. Even if they make me hurt. Like that glittery eyeshadow that gets in my eyes and makes me itch like crazy. That gorgeous gold does not look very gorgeous when I’ve rubbed my eyes like a sleepy toddler w a cold. The whole eye area becomes bright red & purple. But do I still have that shadow? Yes. It’s so pretty! (I’ll throw it out now.). Not to mention, glitter isn’t encouraged if you have even a slight wrinkle! Don’t want to decorate the wrinkles!
Back to the tweezers—-if I only have one, what will I do if I can’t find it? What if I lose it? What if it breaks? What if I have a friend over and we BOTH need to pluck our eyebrows at the exact same time?!?! This is how far fetched I get w the reasons to keep stuff. Anxiety, just like you said. I have never once in 43 years needed two tweezers at the same time. & def not to simultaneously pluck hairs w a gf. I have a brand that is my favorite. I’ll keep one in my bathroom and one in my purse. The rest can go bye-bye.
Reading your post has helped me realize, if I didn’t have four, or 14 or 40 of something, it wd be a lot easier to FIND the thing I need, when I need it! Aha! It is no longer an issue of “what if”. It’s simply in its spot. Thank you for helping me figure that out.
Sincerely, Kristen M. In California
.
**more on my subscriptions**
In addition to paying $360 a year (HOLY COW! Is that right?! Three @ $10 each) for 180 beauty samples a year, they come in a cute &handy box or an adorable very useable makeup bag. That’s 24 boxes and 12 makeup bags a year. I’m up to 216 items that are being delivered to me. This month was the first time I threw away the two decorative boxes. Immediately. I poured something greasy on top so there was no way I’d fish them out of the trash. I haven’t missed those boxes at all. However I do still have a few years of them stacked in “ROOM 2” (the spare room of doom). I use some to keep drawers organized and for small item storage. But I need to toss the rest. I keep them because, they’re just to cute to toss...what if I need to use them to organize another drawer? What if I decide to make a Pinterest craft w them? There’s a very cool little set of drawers I’m going to make. In fact, I only pinned that TWO YEARS AGO. I’m all over it. Time to let go. Thank you again!
Alice says
Great to hear from you Kristen! You really made me laugh - so glad not just me struggling with the glittery eyeshadow 🙂 It is crazy isn't once we actually stop and look at all those duplicates isn't it? As you say, when do we ever need two pairs of tweezers at the same time!
Camellia says
Thank you for posting this. I can relate to everything that you have listed. Mostly everything will be applied to our house when I get started this weekend except for a few things in the kitchen utensils drawer that I have to double as hubby is right handed and I am left. Otherwise, we will be saying goodbye to approximately 22 towels, 4 bedding sheet sets, unspecified amount of socks that are unworn or have holes and a whole lot more. Lol.
I’m going to write up a list for each location with a few additions, print it out and stick it to the doors. Hopefully the rest of the household will notice.
Thank you again.
Alice says
22 towels wow! I thought we had a lot 😉 So glad the post helped, do let me know how you get on